5-10-5 Jonny Bruce / The Germ

A wonderful thing about the horticulture world is that it is small one, so you often meet fantastic people of all sorts.  I met Jonny through my friend Tom, the head gardener at Gravetye, who put us in contact through email. Jonny spoke about seeing Plinth et al. and suggested I might be interested in receiving a copy of his publication, since it covers subjects that he knew interested me. The interview was a way to get to know more about Jonny, and the work that he does on this personal project of his.  I am sure you will find it interesting. – James

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Cerinthe major, J. Bruce, watercolor

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The Arts or Horticulture?

With an artist mother my life has been grounded in the arts but as I developed my own thoughts about art and horticulture it seemed that any distinction was a superficial one. Really the two collide and coalesce to such an extent that I really could not say either way. 

Thanks Jonny, can you introduce yourself to us.

    London born but I grew up first in Stockholm and then Oxford where my family still live. Following this frankly idyllic upbringing I spent three, slightly fraught, years at Cambridge University studying History of Art. To combat the endless hours spent behind a desk I started an allotment in the grounds of my college, Girton. The joy I derived from the time spent on this small plot, as well as some formative gardening experiences had during my long university vacations, convinced me of the need to pursue a career in horticulture. After a year working at the beautiful Aberglasney Gardens in Wales I managed to secure a placement at Great Dixter in East Sussex as the new Christopher Lloyd Scholar, which I began in September.

    I also moonlight as a botanical illustrator and edit a small publication about art and horticulture called The Germ.

Your first gardening memory?

    Aged 10 stealing Irises from my mother’s garden to plant in the school car park as part of an unofficial ‘gardening club’ – really it was just an excuse for water fights away from the watchful eyes of the teacher on break duty. 

What about the first time captivated by a piece of Art or a color?

    It is difficult to pinpoint but in terms of a shift from looking at art to thinking about art then Georg Basetlitz’s exhibition at the Royal Academy in 2007 was a pretty seismic event. 

contents of The Germ, Issue 2. Quercus phellos

What is The Germ and how did the name come about?

    The Germ is a small, handcrafted publication containing words and images intended to explore the relationship between art, horticulture and the wider natural world. The contents are unbound and contained within an envelope that carries a unique impression of a wood engraving by Duncan Montgomery (http://experimentsonbox.wordpress.com/).

    The name has its precedence in the Pre-Raphealite Brotherhood who published a short-lived journal under the same name accompanied by the subtitle “thoughts towards nature in art and literature”. However it really refers to how, hopefully, this small collection can stimulate the germ of new ideas in others.   

What are you looking for The Germ to accomplish, for yourself and others?

    In an increasingly virtual world I hope that people will find in The Germ a comforting tangibility. There is a joy in receiving any post that hasn’t originated at the bank or phone company but when the package has been crafted with such care I feel there is more chance of engaging the reader. The unbound pages are intended to encourage people to dissemble each copy, sticking an image to the wall or passing an article to a friend, without a sense of destruction. I hope that The Germ’s pages may find their way into new envelopes and with such a limited print run we depend on this organic dissemination to engage with a wider audience.  

The Germ,  Issue 2. Quercus phellos: Image by Flora Arbuthnott (here) and words from Sean Hewitt (here)

It’s a beautiful mix of content, what’s the thought process when putting an edition together? Is there a theme or common thread that runs through it?

    Our relationship to the natural world is the only common thread, I find specific themes can often have a frustratingly restrictive effect on submissions and tend to appear contrived. 

When it comes to the artistic content you said that there must be some connection, albeit a loose one, to the natural world. When looking for submissions, what is it you look for and how can people submit?

    Diversity and innovation are important however when submissions strive for the latter they often end up appearing superficial and really the best submissions I receive are the ones that seem most honest. One of my favourite submissions was from a nine year old of a Birch under a yellow sky, it was perfect. 

When my first copy arrived in the mail, I was astounded by the details printed on the envelope alone. How do you get the images and content so beautiful?

    The envelope I have to credit to Nigel Williams of J.W. Thomas & Sons in Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire and his original Heidelberg Press. Without his skill and patience no copy of The Germ would have appeared and I am sorry to think that, with no one to pass on his trade to, his is a dying art. 

    In terms of content the best answer is time. The Germ is not monthly or quarterly, I simply wait until I have enough material that I can put together to produce something exciting. 

How often do you produce The Germ and how or where can people find it?

    The Germ is published as and when I am happy with the content, that can be a few weeks or a few months but considering its lack of price tag I hope that does not put people off. The best way to find out about The Germ is to contact me by email (jbruce210@gmail.com) or, preferably, by letter at: Jonny Bruce, Great Dixter House and Gardens, Northiam, Rye, East Sussex, TN31 6PH.

We love your passion for two subjects that we greatly admire. I’d love to hear your explanation on why you think the connection between art and horticulture is so important.

    Horticulture represents our most dynamic engagement with the natural world. At a time of unprecedented environmental change it is vital that we reconsider our relationship to the nature and with the fickleness of politicians and the media I feel art has the ability to shine a revealing light. 

Cardoon and Crocosmia, Jonny Bruce, watercolor

With botanical illustration, which plant subjects catch your attention? And your preferred medium?

    As a gardener you spend a lot of time simply looking at the plants and every so often one just seems to leap out in such a way that I can imagine it on the page. I like to think of botanical illustration as a conversation so really it is about choosing which plant I want to talk to. My preferred medium is watercolour. 

Great Dixter, the garden creation of Christopher Lloyd and Fergus Garrett

You are now a Christopher Lloyd Scholarship recipient, Congratulations. Great Dixter is a phenomenal place for creative minds. How are you enjoying the beginning of your 2 years living, working and learning at Dixter?

    I have only been here a few weeks but already whole areas of the garden have changed and the colour is astonishing. In my first week Fergus had us moving enormous clumps of Aster, Crysanthemum and Helianthus, mostly in full flower, from stock beds to revitalize those tired corners that would be left in many gardens. It is certainly an incredibly stimulating place to work and I just hope I can get as much from my two years here as possible. 

Great Dixter Topiary Lawn, end of summer season

What or who, artistically or in the world of horticulture, is inspiring you?

    Dixter is an amazing melting pot for all sorts of interesting ideas and people who provide a constant source of inspiration. Few gardens achieve such an exciting visual result whilst maintaining such genuine concern for wildlife and the environment. Walking along the Long Border, the vibrancy of all the plants and animals makes you see and connect with nature in a different way. Artistically, although totally devoid of life, I find James Turrell’s work have a similar power to change one’s perception of the world.

Prospect Cottage, the garden of Derek Jarman

A garden, public or private, that continuously inspires you?

    Being on the Sussex/Kent border also means I am close to one of my greatest influences, Derek Jarman. His garden at Prospect Cottage formed the focus of my university dissertation and continues to be source of inspiration. Aberglasney Gardens in Wales, where I spent the past 12 months, has also been key in forming my ideas on horticulture and the direction the current head gardener, Joseph Atkin, is taking the garden is a very exciting. 

Do you have specific creative outlets that you often turn to?

    Drawing and painting are my main outlets. Drawing is a totally meditative experience and really the only time I lose total awareness of the clock. The Germ is also wonderfully creative, I love bringing together and engaging with other people’s thoughts, it never fails to stimulate new ideas.  

Gardening and engaging with the natural world, what is it that appeals most to you?

    A connection to something physical. There is something essential in the act of gardening that draws you into a closer conversation with the nature, a conversation I find deeply comforting. I feel a great deal of the anxiety associated with modern life is tied up with the loss of the natural in an increasingly virtual world.

Left on an island you must choose one plant and piece of art to keep with you, what would you choose?

    An impossible question but possibly Agave for their delicious nectar and useful fibres but also for their fascinating structure and monumental flower spikes. There is a particularly nice specimen of A. victoriae-reginae at Prospect Cottage which has to be one of the best looking Agave species. 

Derek Jarmans garden, Prospect Cottage, end of May

Leave us with a favorite quote you admire..

    “The gardener digs in another time, without past of future, beginning or end. A time that does not cleave the day with rush hours. Lunch breaks, the last bus home. As you walk in the garden you pass into this time – the moment of entering can never be remembered. Around you the landscape lies transfigured. Here is the Amen beyond the prayer” – Derek Jarman, Modern Nature.

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At present time, the next free edition of the Germ is complete and is ready and waiting to be sent out. If you are interested in receiving the 3rd edition, please send a message to Jonny saying so, either by email: jbruce210@googlemail.com

or by letter: Jonny Bruce, Great Dixter House and Gardens, Northiam, Rye, East Sussex, TN31 6PH

Thank you so much Jonny for agreeing to do this interview. What you do and what you have created is a treasure and I wish you continued success with your special and beautifully done publication, The Germ. – James

* Click here for an article written by Jonny about The Golden Age of Botanical Art*

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Derek Jarman: Gartdener

         Film director, stage designer, author, gay rights activist, artist and gardener, Derek Jarman, was a man of many hats. Born in London, 1942 , Jarman was interested in art, poetry and stories,  he went on to study at King’s College, Slade School of Fine Art and the University College London. He directed music videos for bands such as The Sex Pistols, Pet Shop Boys, and The Smiths, while also shooting short and feature films.  While establishing himself as a film director, Derek Jarman, gave his longtime muse and collaborator, Tilda Swinton, her first role in his film Caravaggio (1986).  This is the same year that Derek Jarman was diagnosed as H.I.V. positive, with his illness causing him to leave London and move to Prospect Cottage, a converted fishing hut on the coast of Kent in Dungeness.  His paintings sometimes focused on linear compositions and geometric forms within a limited color palette, using only three colors at times (here). Later in his life, his paintings became more dark with heavy color,  paint covered the canvas in a less controlled manner and words  were scratched into or painted on, words that usually expressed his thoughts and emotions about him being ill. His illness later caused him to go blind, but it did not deter him from continuing to create more work, making a film called Blue, (click to listen while you read), consisting of a blue screen background with a soundtrack overlaying voices, sound effects, and music.

          Prospect Cottage is located in the  atmospheric surroundings of Dungeness , situated on the coast of Kent, and lays claim to having the largest expanse of shingle in the world.  It is not a place for the faint- hearted, and I am sure this is why he loved it, as it is a place for solitude, with not much around  except a few fishing huts, the continuous whistling of the wind, the ever present sea spray and the constant humming of the nearby nuclear power plant.

               The  wooden cottage is a dark timber frame made slightly more enticing by the color yellow painted on windows and door frames. Seen clearly from the road, it arises like a desert mirage,  easily standing out against its stark surroundings, with much help from the candy colored garden.  The garden, limited by choices of what he was able to  grow here, uses a cast of plants content with sharp drainage and that respond well to the warmth of the stones when basking in warm  sun.  He echoes the simple color palettes of some of his earlier paintings .  The front garden is very formal and symmetrical, which lines up with the house,  and makes order of an environment that could easily be disproportionate to the vast and open surrounding landscape.  Symmetry plays a very important role in some of his works in film and this trick is seen crossing over here into the design of his garden layout.

                                              Liking the magic of surprise, he paid homage to his admiration for poetry on one side of the cottage where raised letters  bear the first stanza and the last five lines  of John Donne’s poem The Sun Rising , a love poem to the sun in which the sun is reprimanded by the poet.

The Sun Rising

Busy old fool, unruly Sun,
Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains, call on us ?
Must to thy motions lovers’ seasons run ?
Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide
Late school-boys and sour prentices,
Go tell court-huntsmen that the king will ride,
Call country ants to harvest offices ;
Love, all alike, no season knows nor clime,
Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time.
In that the world’s contracted thus ;
Thine age asks ease, and since thy duties be
To warm the world, that’s done in warming us.
Shine here to us, and thou art everywhere ;
This bed thy center is, these walls thy sphere

John Donne

English poet and satirist

Jarman tirelessly carried found objects and flotsam from the beach and shingle dunes back to his garden, creating another layer of character in an already other worldly environment. By installing these wooden pieces upright, we see a continued correlation to his earlier paintings, in which the canvas is pierced with vertical lines painted against the horizon. This correlation is seen in the link provided earlier of his paintings (here – see Avebury Series No. 4,  Avebury Series II (1973),  Landscape, and Landscape II).  The date of completion on some of these paintings predates the design of the garden at Prospect Cottage, and though these wooden pieces are found objects that he did not create, the compositions  created in both the  paintings and garden are very similar.

      Helping to create a natural sense of divide from the garden to the landscape beyond is the yellow blooming shrub, Ulex europea, which only slightly keeps the ominous Dungeness nuclear power plant at bay. Other shrubs played a role here, specifically Santolina, Helichrysum and Ruta graveolens, all silver leafed plants that have adopted a windswept look.

            Just off in the distance, like the great land of Oz, is the Dungeness nuclear power plant. Sometimes barely visible through the fog, it reminds you of its presence with a constant humming noise.

Creating a slightly disconcerting soundtrack, the power plant, mixed with the wind and the taste of the salty air, the experience gets into your bones and gives you chills.

                                         Skeletons of old fisherman boats seemingly buoyant litter the surrounding shingle, stirring up memories of the past, causing you to wonder if there used to be more life and activity in this area at some point.  The pink blooms of Centranthus ruber and Crambe maritima, which is found  in Dungeness more than anywhere else in the world, help soften the cold harsh landscape.

        After encircling the whole of the cottage, you see the front garden again, with  Eschscholzia californica creating a carpet of blooms, reseeding enough here that it is almost considered a weed. Derek Jarman, clearly enjoying his new medium,  saw his garden as a form of therapy, even asking to leave the hospital at times when he was very sick so he could visit his garden at Prospect Cottage.  In February of 1994, Derek Jarman passed away in London due to complications of his illness.

 “Paradise haunts garden, and some gardens are paradise. Mine is one of them….”- Derek Jarman, 1942-1994

-Jimmy